1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a heating system for removing solder from a substrate such as a circuit board. In particular, the heating system is directed to a desoldering tool that provides a tip for melting solder and retrieving the melted solder to a replaceable storage for retaining the solder and providing operators with different options in gripping the desoldering tool.
2. General Background and State of the Art
Desoldering tools provide heat and vacuum source to a tip in order to melt the solder on a substrate and retrieve the melted solder through the tip. Internally, the desoldering tool has a solder collection chamber where the melted solder is deposited for temporary storage. In addition, the solder collection chamber is provided with a filter to remove the flux from the vapor that accompanies the melted solder so that filtered vapor may be vacuumed away to the vacuum source without clogging the internal mechanism of the desoldering tool. As the melted solder quickly fills the solder collection chamber, the passage to the vacuum source can clog up. This can shorten the desoldering operation and require frequent cleaning or changing of the solder collection chamber. In addition, the solder collection chamber may be integrated into the desoldering tool in such a way that the desoldering tool may need to be disassembled in order to replace or clean the solder collection chamber. This adds to the downtime of the desoldering operation and increases the chance that the desoldering tool is reassembled improperly. The frequent exchange or cleaning of the solder collection chamber also adds to the cost of operating the desoldering tool because of the expense associated with the solder collection chamber.
The desoldering tools are also provided with one grip handle so that operators are limited in the way they can grip the desoldering tools. For example, some soldering tools are provided with a pistol grip while other soldering tools are provided with an elongated housing with a grip on one end. Operators, however, may find that one type of a grip may be more ergonomically comfortable than others. In a large production facility where one type of a grip is provided, some operators may find that the grip is comfortable while many others may find that the same grip is uncomfortable. As such, there still is a need for an improved desoldering tool to efficiently clean or replace the solder collection chamber and provide a grip that is ergonomically comfortable to a variety of operators.